Bobby Convey: International Man of Mystery

Last night in Concacaf World Cup qualifying, the United States defeated Trinidad and Tobago 1-0. The result, not at all indicative of the United States' utter dominance, moves the United States within a win of booking themselves a spot to Germany next summer. However, with their 2-0 win over Costa-Rica, Mexico is still atop the qualifying standings before their match against the United States in Columbus on September 3 (congratulations to Jared Borghetti, who became Mexico's all-time top goal-scorer last night).

The standings:

1. Mexico - 16 points (5-0-1)
2. United States - 15 points (5-1-0)
3. Guatemala - 7 points (2-3-1)
4. Costa Rica - 7 points (2-3-1)
5. Trinidad and Tobago - 4 points (1-4-1)
6. Panama - 2 points (0-4-2)

The U.S. got off to a roaring start, scoring in only the second minute of play. The goal was the result of a series of brilliant plays. The first was the brilliant run that Bobby Convey made across the box, using his speed to blow by his defender and get to the ball. The second was the adept play made by midfielder John O'Brien to spot the streaking Convey and get him the ball. The third was the excellent ball played by Convey across the goalmouth. Fourth and finally was the sublime finish by forward Brian McBride. The whole sequence must have taken no more than ten seconds, and it was a beautiful sight to behold; certainly more beautiful than any of the soccer played in the Gold Cup.

However, all the positives of this game, including some excellent defense, crisp passes, a few excellent runs, was marred by the team's complete inability to finish their chances. Both Convey and Donovan had between them at least five quality chances on goal that should have been put away. This is something that needs to be addressed before the Mexico match, before it returns to hurt the squad. The U.S. lost to England in a friendly in May because they couldn't finish, but they haven't been punished in a crucial match...yet.

Player ratings:

Kasey Keller - 6: I don't recall Keller having to do anything all evening.

Chris Albright - 6: A solid, if unspectacular game for the converted right back. Against a team like Trinidad, Albright needs to play more of a two-way game, moving forward into the attack more often. He has too good of a cross to be sitting back against a 10 man Trinidad team, especially when we needed a second goal so badly.

Greg Berhalter - 6: With Berhalter getting the start, it's clear that Arena is still not sold on Conrad, but it also indicates that Greg may still be in the mix for 2006, at the very least as an alternate. He played a solid game, which saw him struggle a bit early, but he made a crucial tackle in the second half that helped ensure U.S. victory.

Oguchi Onyewu - 8: A marvelous performance from rising star Onyewu. He made big time tackles, bailing out Berhalter (twice), and nearly scoring on a brilliant header. Had he scored that goal, he would have been a clear MOTM.

Eddie Lewis - 6: Eddie did very well defensively in his first performance as a left back, but he, like Albright, was too tentative going forward, and we desperately needed his left foot in the second half.

Steve Ralston - 4: A very weak match for Steve. With every game now he seems to be playing his way out of the National Team picture. He contributed nothing of note last night, and was turned around more than once defensively. It's a wonder that he wasn't subbed out sooner.

John O'Brien - 5: It's wonderful to see O'Brien back, and he sprung Convey with a brilliant pass leading to the game's only goal. However, his night was cut short by a hip pointer, which clearly seemed to have taken him off of his game.

Claudio Reyna - 7: Claudio proved that he's still very valuable to this team (although I'd love to see him tried out on the right wing) in the center of the pitch. He played an excellent (perhaps even dominant) first half last night, but he was much less active when O'Brien left the pitch. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Bobby Convey (MOTM) - 6: I must say, I've been impressed with Convey of late. He has played well for Reading so far this year, and his play last night was exceptionally good. He made great runs, set up the McBride goal, and should have had a goal or two of his own. However, he marred his good play with a reckless challenge that saw him sent off (it was his second yellow of the night). Say what you will about the first yellow, but the second was a dangerous tackle. This may be a blessing in disguise for Bobby though, as it means he can concentrate on solidifying his spot in the Reading starting eleven.

Brian McBride - 7: While Brian didn't do all that much in this game, he instantly earned himself a "7" by actually finishing his one chance of the game.

Landon Doovan - 6: Donovan played some exceptional passes last night, and it seemed like everytime I began to think, "where's Landon disappeared to now?" he would appear almost out of nowhere, latching onto the end of a pass or making one himself. Unfortunately, Landon should have had two goals which he just could not finish. That must improve.

Subs:

Chris Armas - 5: Played a typical Armas game, and made a great saving tackle, but the U.S. attack fell off when he entered the pitch, as did Reyna's game. I hope Armas isn't in Arena's long term plans, but I appreciate some of the work he's done for us in the short term.

Taylor Twellman - 6: Should have had the second goal of the night, but we all know that Twellman can't catch a break. Great finish on a goal called back for offside, but it should have impressed Arena enough to give him another look.

Santino Quaranta - 6: Got the assist on the Twellman almost-goal, and contributed, which is what a substitution should do. Why we wasn't subbed in for Ralston earlier is a wonder, but he might prove to be valuable for World Cup 2006 at a position (right mid) where we have absolutely zero depth.

Coach:

Bruce Arena - 7: You can't blame Arena for the fact that his team couldn't finish tonight. He put out a great line-up given the team's rash of injuries, and nearly saw his team absolutely demolish Trinidad. While I don't understand why he didn't sub in Quaranta earlier, and while I disagree with his decision to sub in Armas for O'Brien, if the Twellman goal had stood, few people would be criticizing his substitutions.